Vexed To Nightmare
by rayemars
Summary: In the final days before the Memory World arc, Yugi and Ryou have a conversation about the Pharaoh. Demisequel to The Albatross.


Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. "The Second Coming" belongs to William Butler Yeats.

This is a "demisequel" to The Albatross because Yugi and Ryou's characters here are the same as they were there. Basically what happened is that Ryou tried to commit suicide by cutting his wrist, Yugi knows about this, and the two bonded over their respective spirits during Duelist Kingdom.  That's all you really need to know, so you can spare yourself the really wretched grammatical and characterization techniques that I had when I first started this fandom.

Speaking of characterizations: Yugi and Ryou fall flat. Because they're the same as I wrote in Albatross, and as I said, I didn't know them well back then. (I think "stereotyped saccharine sweetness" described it best.) But it's cool, because this isn't a story about the characters, anyway; it's about the actions.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...somewhere in the sands of the desert  
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,  
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,  
Is moving its slow thighs, while all around it  
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.  
The darkness drops again; but now I know  
That twenty centuries of stony sleep  
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,  
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,  
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"

Yugi managed to bite down his gasp, as he woke abruptly from the nightmare.  The sound was smothered to a choking noise instead.

There was nothing specific that he was afraid of--just the opposite, actually.  The fear was a formless, shapeless thing; an apprehension with no defined features.  

It had reasons, however, and a definite source.

Yugi checked to see whether Yami had woken as well; but when the spirit's presence revealed itself to be that fraction-more-relaxed than usual which indicated he was doing his equivalent of sleep, Yugi gave a guilty sigh of relief.

He would have liked to share his fears with his other half, but he didn't want to worry the pharaoh.  There was little Yami could do to help with the situation, anyway--the thing Yugi was afraid of was him.

Yugi glanced at the headboard to make sure the Puzzle was still hanging from the end, and then pushed the covers back and slid out of bed.  He padded out of his room and moved quietly down the short hallway of the upstairs part of the Game Shop.  He went down the stairs, avoiding the creaky second-to-last step, and paused at the bottom.  

He wanted something to eat, and the kitchen was next to the stockroom on the right.  He also didn't want any more nightmares, and the phone was in the store, through the doors to his left.

Yugi scratched the back of his head absently, but over two weeks of waking up with disturbed and foreboding feelings won out over the desire for a pre-midnight snack.  He went into the shop.

There were several people that Yugi wouldn't hesitate to call if he needed to talk, but in this case there was only one who would actually understand.

The phone had rung four times, and Yugi had just been coming to terms with the fact that most people were abed at 11:34 on a school night, when Bakura picked up.

"Hullo?"

"Hey Bakura, it's me."

"...Yugi?" came Bakura's confused voice.  "Is something wrong?"

Yugi automatically shook his head, despite the uselessness of the act.  "No, I'm...."  He stopped the reflexive answer there, and hesitated a moment before saying, "Yes.  I...can I talk to you about something?"

"Certainly," Bakura replied.

"Um...somewhere else?" Yugi added, glancing at the door that hid the steps to upstairs.  "You know that all-night diner, the one that's down the street from the bus stop?  Could you meet me there?"

"Okay," Bakura said after a moment's pause.  "Yes, I know where you mean."

"Great!  Thanks, I know it's really late and all," Yugi said apologetically.

"Oh, it's fine!" Bakura said cheerfully.

Yugi paused again.  "And Bakura....Could you--could you not wear the Ring?"

There was a very long pause from Bakura's end.  "Yugi...you're asking a...."  He fell silent again.

"Please, Bakura.  It's really important."

"...okay," the other teen said in a quiet voice.  Then, a little stronger, "I'll see you soon, then."

"Thank you," Yugi said again.  "See ya."  He held the phone a moment longer, and Bakura hung up first. 

~~~

Yugi managed to change, wash up, and get to the diner in thirty-eight minutes.  If his mother knew, she would have thrown a fit about him always getting tardies in first period.

He made it there before Bakura, too, which wasn't that surprising--the other teen lived further away.  Out of lack of anything else to do, and because he doubted the man behind the counter would let him stay if he didn't order something, and because he was still hungry anyway, Yugi pulled out his wallet and found that he had enough for some fries.

His order had just appeared, and he'd barely paid and eaten more than three fries when Bakura walked in, looking a lot less groggy than Yugi felt.  For a moment he wondered if being the other half of a thief meant that Bakura was better at keeping strange late-night hours--but that took his thoughts in a direction Yugi didn't want them to be, so he just waved as Bakura walked over.

"Hey," he said with a shaky smile.

"Hi, Yugi!  What had you up so late?" Bakura asked sat down and slid out of his jacket.

"Whadda ya want?" the guy behind the counter called.

"Oh!"  Bakura checked reflexively for his wallet.  "Um, I'll have a Coke, please."

The man disappeared into the kitchen, and Yugi pushed his plate closer to the center of the table.  "Want some?"

"Thank you!" Bakura said with a smile, removing a fry.

The man returned then with a can and a glass of ice, and Bakura left to fetch them off the counter and pay.  The guy took his dollar without comment and disappeared into the kitchen again.

Yugi knew that Bakura was too polite to ask what was up a second time, even if it **was** the middle of the night.  So by the time the other teen returned to the table, juggling the can, the glass, a straw, and some napkins--the dispenser on their table was empty--Yugi'd managed to find a starting point and half-heartedly convince himself that he wasn't betraying Yami by talking.

Still, he waited until Bakura was done pouring the Coke and unwrapping the straw and generally fixing his drink.  But once there were no more props to deal with, Yugi swallowed his fry and began.  "I...."

He fell silent after the first word, though, and scratched the back of his head.  Finally, he just blurted it out.  "I've been having a lot of nightmares."

Bakura gave him a quizzical look.

"About...well, sort've about...I mean, they're not really **nightmares**," Yugi stumbled.  He reached for the chain that was usually around his neck, but when it wasn't there he jerked his hands down and folded them awkwardly in his lap.  "They're about Yami."

Bakura's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't say anything and let Yugi talk.

"I mean, I know I promised to help him recover his memories," Yugi added.  "And I will!  It's horrible, to not know who you are.  But...."  Yugi picked up a fry and started playing absently with it.  "But I...my dreams....Sometimes I think that it's better if he doesn't know."

Bakura cupped the glass in his hands.  "Maybe you shouldn't tell me this, Yugi," he said uneasily.  "I--I think he can read my mind or something."

Yugi fell silent again and glanced down at the table before tearing the fry in half.  Bakura took a sip of his soda, staring sadly at the opposite wall.

"I know he's a good person!" Yugi burst out.  "I've known him so long now and I **know he is!  But...he can be so cruel, too.  And it's like he doesn't even think about it, like he just--just changes in an instant.  And if he gets his memories back...."  Yugi wrapped his arms across his chest and stared forlornly at the tabletop.  "I...I trust who he is, but I'm afraid of who he **was**," he said quietly.**

Bakura let go of the glass and interlaced his fingers uncomfortably.  Still, he gave Yugi a sympathetic look and tried to find words to help the other teen.  "I'm not...have you told him about any of this?"

Yugi shook his head vehemently.  "No, I don't want to worry him."

Bakura frowned slightly.  "But...eventually he's going to feel you pulling away, right?  And he'll worry then.  So isn't it better to talk to him now, before he just suddenly learns from your emotions?"

"I don't..." Yugi started playing with the halves of his torn fry.  "I don't know.  I don't know how to bring it up, and I don't think I can put off going to the museum any longer, and I don't want to break my promise.  I just...don't know what to do."  He gave Bakura a lost look, saying "I...." before trailing off. 

Bakura stared down at his glass, tapping the sides quietly.  He stayed that way for a long time, knowing that Yugi was hoping for an answer, but not willing to reply.  Finally, when one of the ice cubes had melted enough that it fell and clinked against the others, Bakura sighed.

"I don't have a good answer for you, Yugi," he said quietly.  "I just want it to be over.  I'm starting to not care how."

Yugi glanced at the other teen's wrist before catching himself and looking over the back of the booth to the door.  Bakura shifted uncomfortably and hid his hand beneath the table in his lap.

There was another pause, and then Bakura went on.  "But I still think you should tell him; even if you don't say exactly what you're worried about.  I mean, he's **you.  Your other half.  He can't be evil or cruel."**

Yugi wrapped his arms across his chest again, though they were slightly looser this time.  "No...you didn't see my duel with Arkana.  The blade kept getting closer and closer, and he just **stood** there."  Yugi shook his head slightly.  "He didn't even understand why I took over.  He thought it was because everyone was waiting outside."

Bakura's eyes widened a little at that, but to his credit he kept his voice calm.  "But wasn't the same thing going to happen to you?  He's...protective, I guess; but that's not really evil.  He just cares about you."

"But..." Yugi trailed off again and watched Bakura's face, not wanting to bring up the Ring spirit.  Bakura understood, though, and looked down at his glass again.

"I'm not a very good person, Yugi," he said.  "So it makes a lot of sense for me.  We're different."

Yugi shook his head violently.  "Yes you are, Bakura!  He's just...evil.  And crazy.  No one blames you for what he does--you can't help it."

The corner of Bakura's mouth twitched in an almost-smile, but he changed the subject.  "Still, you promised, and you want to keep your promise, right?  But if you go to the museum and you're still anxious, it might have some kind of effect on Yami when he's getting his memories back.  Like..." Bakura searched for the rest of his statement.  He scratched a spot behind his ear.  "...that thing Mrs. Hertel was talking about in psychology.  The...paradoxes or something?"

"Self-fulfilling prophecies?" Yugi asked.

Bakura nodded.  "That's it!"

Yugi leaned on the table, propping his chin on his hands.  "I guess I see what you mean..." he said quietly.  He glanced over at the other teen, who was taking a sip of his by-now-watered-down Coke.  "But...I don't want him to decide that he doesn't want his memories, just because I'm worried.  After all that fighting, and everything that happened...."  Yugi paused, then laughed slightly.  "I'm scared of him getting them back, but I don't want him not to, either.  I just can't make up my mind, huh?"

Bakura gave him an encouraging half-smile.  "Don't worry.  Even if he gets his memories back, and he **was cruel, that doesn't mean he'll be who he was.  He has you now, Yugi.  He's already a better person because of you."**

Yugi smiled at that, even if there was a lingering trace of concern in his eyes.  "...Thanks, Bakura," he said.  "Really, thank you.  I--I **will tell him.  And I bet you're right, and I'm just being crazy and stuff."**

Bakura smiled in return.  "You're not crazy, Yugi," he replied.  "But I think this is the best idea.  And I hope you'll feel better."

Yugi nodded.  "It is.  Thanks again."  He glanced down at his watch.  "I should get back--I just left without telling anyone."  He suddenly thought of something and looked over at Bakura.  "Oh no, I didn't get you in trouble for calling so late, did I?"

The other teen shook his head pleasantly.  "No, Father's on a dig in Istanbul at the moment, so there's nothing wrong."

Yugi nodded in relief.  "Okay.  Do you want me to walk back with you or anything?"

Bakura laughed.  "We live in completely opposite directions!"  He gave Yugi another smile.  "I'll be fine, and you need to get home."

"Are you going with me and the others to the museum?" Yugi asked as he pulled his jacket back on.  "After I get everything cleared up with Yami?"

"Definitely!" Bakura said.

"Great!"  Yugi nodded, then scooped up a handful of fries before pushing the plate a little closer in Bakura's direction.  "D'you want the rest?  They're not...**really** cold."

"Thank you," Bakura said with a little amused look.

Yugi slid out of the booth and said "Bye!" one last time before cramming the fries in his mouth and jogging to the exit.  He waved once while he was pushing the door open with his back, and Bakura returned the motion. 

~~~~~

Once Yugi had left the building and trotted down the sidewalk, taking him out of view of the glass panes that made up the diner's wall, Ryou turned back around.  He picked up one of the cooled-off fries and chewed it absently.  The taste was bland, but he'd eaten so little in the past couple of weeks that he didn't mind.

Will he go?

Ryou reflexively placed a hand on the Millennium Ring beneath his shirt.  _I think so, he answered.  __He sounded really serious about talking to the Pharaoh._

And everything's in place?

_Yes_, Ryou replied dully.  _I set up the last few buildings by the cliffs this afternoon._

The spirit didn't bother with a comment like 'good' or 'well done.'  The closest it came to praise was a snort of expectations met.  Fine.  Now go home and sleep.  I don't want my body to be tired when Yugi goes to the museum.

Ryou hesitated.  _You promise you'll let me say goodbye? he asked._

Yes, the spirit replied.  Go.

Ryou slid out of the seat, leaving the watery Coke and the cold fries for the man in the kitchen, and began the walk back home. 

~~~~~

Yugi locked the storeroom door behind him, avoided the creaky step on his way up the stairs, and made it back to his room without anyone noticing that he was gone.

Well, without his mother or his grandfather noticing he was gone.

Yugi threw his coat across the back of his desk chair and kicked off his shoes, but didn't bother changing back into his pajamas.  He could sense that Yami was awake as soon as he touched the chain of his Puzzle.

Yugi? the spirit asked, sounding slightly disturbed.  Where did you go?

_I had to think about something_, Yugi replied.  _But now I have and--and I need to talk to you.  About something._

There was a shift in the dimness of the room, and then Yugi could make out the pharaoh's transparent form sitting in his chair and ignoring the fact that Yugi's coat was lying partially through his arm.

The look on Yami's face was decidedly more worried now, but he only said calmly: "Of course.  What is it, Yugi?"

"I..." Yugi twisted the chain of the Puzzle in his hands once, before taking a deep breath and sitting up straight.  He looked Yami in the eyes, saw the genuine concern on the spirit's face, and believed what Bakura had said.  "It's about your memories," Yugi replied.  "I've been having these...bad dreams." 

~~~

It was a very long conversation between the two, and it was almost dawn by the time they finished.  But by the end of the night, the bond between them was stronger than it had ever been.

The next day at school, Yugi told his friends that he and Yami were going to go to the museum that Saturday afternoon; and they all made plans to be there, except for Devlin, who had a business meeting, and Kaiba, who didn't give a damn.

In the brief moment when the first teacher had walked in and everyone was scattering to their desks, Yugi caught Bakura's sleeve and gave him a smile.

"Thank you," he said again.

"I was glad to help," Bakura replied cheerfully.


End file.
